About this role
Assistant Visitor Experience Manager
Salary: £28,000 - £29,000 per annum depending on experience.
Contract Type: Permanent, Full-time
Hours: A minimum of 37.5 hours per week (exclusive of breaks), Wednesday to Sunday. You will be required to work occasional shifts outside your normal working pattern to meet operational needs and visitor expectations. Reasonable notice will be provided wherever possible, and time off in lieu (TOIL) will be given.
The Role:
We are looking for an experienced and dynamic Assistant Visitor Experience Manager to lead our House based Visitor Experience team at Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire. At Waddesdon Manor, our values are rooted in Concordia, Integritas and Industria; working together, acting with integrity, and taking pride in what we do. We value collaboration, respect and a shared commitment to achieving the best for Waddesdon Manor, our visitors, colleagues and the collections in our care. We act with honesty, openness and professionalism, taking responsibility for our decisions and treating others fairly. We are ambitious and purposeful in our work, bringing energy, care and commitment to everything we do, while continually looking for ways to learn, improve and make a positive contribution. Whatever our role, we are united by a belief that our individual contribution matters and that, by working together, we can help Waddesdon thrive.
Our mission is to create meaningful work and ensure our team reflects the diversity of the visitors we serve and the communities we support. We are committed to providing an environment free from discrimination and every team member feels valued, respected and has a true sense of belonging.
What you will do:
You will act as the duty manager for the House, acting as the main point of contact for and lead operational presence in the area, managing, motivating and supporting a large team of Visitor Experience staff and volunteers. You will be heavily embedded in the daily operation, ensuring consistency of access, presentation and service, embedding the needs and expectations of visitors at the heart of the operation.
You will lead and implement visitor facing accessibility initiatives, promoting a culture of accessibility for all visitors throughout the House. You will play an active part in Waddesdon’s Access Committee, be responsible for the completion of access audit recommendations and devise a strategy for ensuring access and inclusion form an integral part of House based operational projects. Working Wednesday to Sunday throughout the year, you will be experienced in supporting and delivering a large daily visitor operation and ensuring the best use of staffing and resource.
Although this role has some office based responsibilities, a large proportion of the time is spent on the floor, supporting the team and developing relationships with volunteers. The distribution of the role is 50% office based work, 50% on the ground in the house.
Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Daily Management of the House Visitor Operation
Provide motivational line management for House based staff and volunteer teams, acting as a friendly and approachable point of contactMotivate teams to be inspired by, engage with, and safely manage historic surroundings - demonstrating a particular interest in the house, its history and collectionsImplement staffing plans to ensure all aspects of the visitor operation are sufficiently resourced using the Planday and MyVolunteering rota systems.Identify and resolve shortages in good time.Create daily operational rotas for staff and volunteer house teams, with an awareness of individual operational and personal requirementsProactively managing House staff team performance, maximizing resource and efficiently using staffing budget.Offer support and coaching to the team where required to help with performance and development, encouraging staff to find solutions and develop their problem solving skillsConduct daily briefings for staff and volunteer teams, ensuring consistent operational and experiential messagingAlongside the Visitor Experience Manager, recruit talented and enthusiastic people, develop and coach them, driving strong performance through setting clear objectives and giving regular feedback and reviewsPlay an active part of the recruitment and induction of new volunteer House Hosts.Build strong positive relationships and manage retention of volunteers.Receive and act on volunteer feedback, where requiredLead on ensuring that all of the House visitor route is open on time, and be responsible for proactively ensuring consistently high standard of presentation.Establish what a high standard of presentation looks like and ensure the team understand this fully.Pro-actively identify issues with presentation and work to find a solution and implement it within an agreed time frameLiaising with security, lead on ensuring the closing and lock up procedures are completed to the requisite standard daily, with all keys returned and external alarms setAct as the lead Fire Warden for the House during opening hours.When you are required to leave the building, actively ensure cover is availableProactively troubleshoot any issues or problems in the visitor operation as they arise, liaising with other departments where necessaryAct as a escalation point for staff and volunteers to escalate issues and confidently respond to any in-person visitor feedback or complaints, resolving any issues raisedLead on developing volunteer and staff collection resources and training and encourage ongoing learning and engagement with the collectionBe responsible for the operational delivery of all house-based toursWorking with the VEM to enhance the existing visitor engagement programmeTrain as a tour guide for all tours to be able to step in if a scheduling issue occurs.Feed into the tour development process when required by the VEM Managing Access and Risk
Working closely with the Community Engagement Programme Manager, develop and deliver visitor facing access initiatives throughout the House visitor journeyChampion access for all, ensuring that all visitor offers meet best practice guidance for accessibility, striving to become a recognized center of excellenceEnsure that all existing access provisions are adequately maintained and available, whilst developing and broadening access initiativesPlay an active part in the Access CommitteeWorking closely with the Health and Safety Manager, proactively ensure that all health and sa